The Entertainment Industry’s Next Act: Balancing Box-Office Releases and Streaming

Big names help juice subscriber numbers, but theaters remain essential

After over a year of delays, the ninth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, F9, is finally cruising onto the big screen June 25—and unlike many other films released during the pandemic, there is no option to stream it at home.

The film’s anticipated theatrical-only release will unofficially kick off a busy movie season as studios look to resuscitate box-office revenues. But priorities have changed considerably in a year’s time. Companies that found success boosting streaming services’ subscriber numbers with would-be theatrical releases are considering how to balance their flow of films to feed the box-office beast while still servicing their growing streaming fans.

“They

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This story first appeared in the June 21, 2021, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.